GenX Filmmaker Rant of the Week
This week, I had two conversations that left me rethinking everything I thought I knew about filmmaking:
- A DP and Producer friends of mine are working on a vertical feature film (yep, iPhone framing). Low six-figure budget. It’s targeted at an Asian market, but guess what? Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and TikTok might follow with micro-series.
- A director raising money for an animated film shared their AI-generated sizzle reel with me. And you know what? It wasn’t half bad. But what stood out most wasn’t the AI—it was their talent as a storyteller.
As a pompous filmmaker, I’ve always sworn I’d never shoot vertical or touch AI. But these conversations brought me to a humbling realization: we have to adapt.The younger Millennial and Gen Z filmmakers? They don’t give a damn about your IMDb credits, your accolades, or whether you’ve been in the industry for 25+ years. Frankly, they’ll tell you to “STFU, old man.” (Not my target audience, but still, the vibe is real.)These up-and-comers are rewriting the rules:
- They’re getting their films on Tubi without expensive cameras like RED or Alexa.
- They’re ditching large crews in favor of smaller, scrappier teams.
- They simply don’t care about the traditional gatekeeping we clung to.
Meanwhile, studios and streaming services are churning out “casual viewing screenplays,” feeding every classic into AI, and slashing union gigs. The craft of filmmaking as we knew it? It’s not just under threat—it’s being redefined. So, what’s the takeaway here? We have to stop waiting for the system to save us. We’ve got to become our own mini-studios. Start polishing those film budgets and business plans. Start pitching. Get scrappy.Because if the game has changed, we need to stop clinging to old rules and start writing new ones.
We can counter this by having multiple scripts in different budget ranges!
If you need help updating your film budget and business plan send me an email info@filmbusinessplan.com
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